I was just wondering (Out of interest), if it is possible to sue government departments/bodies, and if not, why are they given immunity?

I don't plan to sue my council...just yet ;-)

And the answer that followed,

Yes it is. You can sue a government departments in the UK courts, and you can sue the UK government in the European Court of Human Rights, and in the European Court of Justice.

You cannot sue the government for certain things. You can't sue them just because you don't like government policy. You cannot sue them for failing to deliver on an election pledge (this has been tried before and failed, on the grounds that election promises are mere aspirations, and can change from day to day in different circumstances.)

You can sue the government for failing to protect your human rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, if you have exhausted all legal channels in the UK, in the European Court of Human Rights. If the case is successful, the UK must change its domestic law to comply with the ruling. The Human Rights Act 1998 tries to reduce the number of times the UK is in the dock, by incorporating the majority of the Convention into UK law, and making sure existing laws are interpreted in a way which complies with it.

People often sue the department for health, the ministry of defence, the home office etc.

The following government departments are listed in the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 as corporations which may be prosecuted criminally (and sued for negligence) for corporate manslaughter:Assets Recovery AgencyAttorney General's OfficeCabinet OfficeCentral Office of InformationCrown Office and Procurator Fiscal ServiceCrown Prosecution ServiceDepartment for Communities and Local GovernmentDepartment for Constitutional Affairs (including the Scotland Office and the Wales Office)Department for Culture, Media and SportDepartment for Education and SkillsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsDepartment for International DevelopmentDepartment for TransportDepartment for Work and PensionsDepartment of HealthDepartment of Trade and IndustryExport Credits Guarantee DepartmentForeign and Commonwealth OfficeForestry CommissionGeneral Register Office for ScotlandGovernment Actuary's DepartmentHer Majesty's Land RegistryHer Majesty's Revenue and CustomsHer Majesty's TreasuryHome OfficeMinistry of DefenceNational ArchivesNational Archives of ScotlandNational Audit OfficeNational Savings and InvestmentsNational School of GovernmentNorthern Ireland Audit OfficeNorthern Ireland Court ServiceNorthern Ireland OfficeOffice for National StatisticsOffice of the Deputy Prime MinisterOffice of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education and Training in WalesOrdnance SurveyPrivy Council OfficePublic Prosecution Service for Northern IrelandRegisters of Scotland Executive AgencyRevenue and Customs Prosecutions OfficeRoyal MintScottish ExecutiveSerious Fraud OfficeTreasury Solicitor's DepartmentUK Trade and InvestmentWelsh Assembly Government

You can also sue a police force, which is a branch of the Home Office, a government department.

you cannot sue individual constables but must sue the chief constable. He, by the way, ceases to be a constable when he becomes chief. He has to hand in his warrant card.

Police are not government employees but Crown Officers. They are paid from a mixture of the local police precept which comes out of the Council Tax they demand of you, and fifty percent from the Home Office budget - which contribution is currently being lowered. the H.O. contribution allowed central government to take control of local police.

Still yet no one has confronted the issue of- Where have the police sworn an "OFFICERS OATH"? A Constables oath thus the constables act, but where have they taken an oath to serve in the capacity of an "Officer" ...? these are two different roles if i am not mistaken. I put this to two bobbys one women other man. And their spirits lit up with amazement for i feel they truly realised they had no jurisdiction in the capacity they serve current. They gave the impression they where soe how given hope? strange i got to say but this was the impression they both gave.

We are now back to the trust idea.Anyone under oath in government service are trustees. If they act against the beneficiaries they are in breach of trust. The problem for us is that the roles have been legally reversed and we are made the trustees and they the beneficiaries.